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This story can be found online at:
http://sports.mainetoday.com/pirates/stories/040314pirates.shtml

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                        Sunday, March 14, 2004

                                                    Yeats collects first AHL shutout


                            By  FRAN SYPEK, Special to Maine Sunday Telegram

                          Copyright  2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.





 SPRINGFIELD, Mass.  --  Rastislav Stana has shut out the Springfield Falcons. So has Maxime Ouellet.  Add Matt Yeats to the list.

     Yeats, the former University of Maine goalie, stopped 44 shots Saturday night for his first American Hockey League shutout, sparking the Portland Pirates to a 3-0 win over the Springfield Falcons before 4,563 at the Springfield Civic Center.

     "This was fun," Yeats said.

     The victory snapped a two-game losing streak and was only the second in the Pirates' last 14 games.

     "Hockey's a funny game," Pirates Coach Tim Army said. "We lost two games to Lowell and gave up a combined 39 shots. Yet we give up more shots tonight and win."

     The Falcons came out strong, wearing special commemorative jerseys on Team Jennifer Night to honor the late wife of Chris Ferraro, the former Pirate and current Falcon co-captain.

     They produced the first six shots, but Yeats made several clutch saves to keep the game scoreless.

     "I didn't know how we were going to be at the beginning of the game because we were reeling a bit after losing those two tough games to Lowell," Army said.

     "After we weathered the first few minutes, our game started to come around and we played solid hockey."

     Yeats didn't mind being busy.

     "I think it helped get me into the game," he said. "I felt great after that."

     The Pirates, who were outshot 44-25, got goals late in the first period by Brad Parsons, late in the second by Francois Methot and midway through the third by Jason Ulmer. Graham Mink assisted on all three.

     "We needed this one," Army said. "We've been playing good hockey but we haven't had much to show for it. This will settle us down and it keeps us right in the thick of things."

     Ulmer scored at 11:42 on a sweeping backhander after being set up by Ivan Ciernik to give the Pirates a 3-0 lead. Yeats had 19 saves in the third.

     "I thought we did a good job keeping pucks to the perimeter," Army said. "When Springfield did penetrate, Matt Yeats made big stops."

     Methot scored with 5:10 left in the second to make it 2-0. After a defensive breakdown, Ciernik collected the puck at the side of the net and centered to Methot, who one-timed a shot past Jean-Marc Pelletier.

     Parsons opened the scoring with 32 seconds remaining in the first period. Mink picked up a loose puck behind the net after a broken play and centered out front to Parsons, who snapped in a high wrist shot.

     "That was a great goal and being up 1-0 on the road it was big," Army said. "It allowed us to settle down."

     NOTES: The Team Jennifer jerseys are being auctioned off on the Falcons' web site (www.falconsahl.com). Jennifer Ferraro, a former University of Maine student, lost her battle with stomach cancer in 2002. . . . Stana, Chris Hajt, Jared Aulin, Jean-Francois Fortin, Louis Robitaille, Garret Stroshein, Nolan Yonkman, Brian Sutherby and Jakub Cutta did not dress for the Pirates. . . . The Pirates are home today against the Philadelphia Phantoms.